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The Effects of ß-Blockade on the Cardiovascular System — Not all ß-Blockers are Created Equal

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Prevention of Disease Progression Throughout the Cardiovascular Continuum

Abstract

In 1993 the Fifth Joint National Committee established new guidelines for the treatment of hypertension [1]. Unlike its previous version in which all four drug classes, i. e. diuretics, ß-blockers, calcium antagonists, and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, were deemed equally acceptable as first-line therapy, the 1993 version stated that ‘because diuretics and ß-blockers have been shown to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in controlled clinical trials, these two classes of drugs are preferred for initial drug therapy’. Although numerous epidemiological studies attest to the safety and efficacy of diuretics in this regard, the data for ß-blockers are sketchy and unconvincing to say the least. In fact, closer scrutiny of the available data suggests that clinical benefits of ß-blockers are poorly documented and that conventional ß-blockers may be inefficient or even harmful in the elderly, who account for a large segment of the hypertensive population.

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Authors
  1. F. H. Messerli
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  2. E. Grossman
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, Karolinska Institute, S-171 76, Stockholm, Sweden

    Lars E. Rydén (Professor of Cardiology) (Professor of Cardiology)

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Messerli, F.H., Grossman, E. (2001). The Effects of ß-Blockade on the Cardiovascular System — Not all ß-Blockers are Created Equal. In: Rydén, L.E. (eds) Prevention of Disease Progression Throughout the Cardiovascular Continuum. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56525-0_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56525-0_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-62567-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-56525-0

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